There are some outstanding custom gunsmiths that do wonderful "trigger jobs" that range anywhere in cost from $125-$350 +, depending on the gun & how big a name he has; but what exactly "IS" a "trigger job"?

It is nothing more that "deliberate-excelerated-wear" caused by the gunsmith filing, stoning & polishing internal parts.

Trigger time on the range, and drying firing, does the same thing with benefits, such as...

I'm going to disagree here - a little. One of the things a gunsmith will do in a trigger job is to set the sear angle, and fit it to the hammer hook. The parts will wear together some with use, but that's not the same as having the proper angle on the sear. And that angle is critical to the pull weight. It takes a sear fixture, a hammer/sear fixture, the proper files, and know how to do it. Additionally some hammer hooks have what amounts to a speed bump along the edge, and that bump isn't going to wear off. They get better with use, but they don't turn themselves into tuned triggers.

I detail-stripped the pistol, and everything looks good. My only question is about the triple spring. Particularly the middle finger, which has a second bend, making it form a wave shape. Does this look in spec?

I detail-stripped the pistol, and everything looks good. My only question is about the triple spring. Particularly the middle finger, which has a second bend, making it form a wave shape. Does this look in spec?

That's your sear spring. As it's installed in the gun the left hand leg provides the sear tension, the center leg is the trigger return, and the leg with the really big bend in it is the grip safety return. It doesn't look over bent to me, and I wouldn't monkey with it. If the tension on that center leg isn't sufficient you can get hammer follows (again with the footlocker references) - which means the gun can fire when you release the slide. Not good.

I think the first thing I'd do after cleaning is to make sure the trigger over travel is set properly. That's easy to do. Just turn the over travel set screw in 1/2 a turn at a time until it will no longer trip the sear. Then back it out 1/2 - 1 turn.

One other thing while I'm thinking about it. The grip safety part of the sear spring does look pretty aggressive, but that shouldn't show up in the trigger pull. Unless you aren't fully depressing the grip safety. You can have it part way in such that the trigger stirrup can get past it but rubs. That will show up as a heavy feeling trigger, so you want to make sure you've got it all the way depressed.

Ok, the gun is back together. It feels like the trigger lost another pound after being de-greased and re-oiled, but it is still far from “good.”

And I’m not a trigger snob. For example, take two completely different single-action triggers that I like, the Ruger Single Six and the Browning Hi-Power. The Single Six’s trigger is light, but it has loads of creep. However, it creeps very predictably and lets you know exactly when it is going to go off, so 1.75” groups offhand at 25 yards with bulk ammo are ridiculously easy to do. On the other hand, the Hi-Power’s trigger is notoriously heavy, but it breaks fantastically cleanly and at 25 yards, 1.5” offhand groups (or rested groups with the holes touching) are the norm.

I think the problem with my PT1911’s trigger is that unlike my Hi-Power where I apply the right amount of pressure and it breaks instantly, with the PT1911, I have to apply that pressure for a moment before it breaks. It just isn’t a clean break. I feel like I’m asking internally “why won’t you break already!” when I’m pulling the trigger. The PT1911 is the only gun in my pretty diverse collection where I have a problem with the sight picture moving during the trigger pull.

So, I would call the trigger merely “acceptable,” but nowhere near as hyped as 1911 triggers were made out to be. The trigger on my Hi-Power, a pistol notorious for its heavy, gritty trigger, embarrasses my PT1911’s trigger. But when a new Hi-Power costs literally twice as much as a PT1911, I guess that is acceptable.

And yes, I already adjusted the pre-travel and over-travel. They didn’t make a difference, plus they were already set well from the factory.

From what you're describing it sounds like the hammer/sear geometry to me. You'll usually get some creep from the firing pin safety levers and plunger, but it doesn't usually make the trigger feel heavy. Just a little creepy. At any rate, you can get rid of that with titanium nitride coated pins, levers and plunger - but they ain't cheap. But the geometry of the hammer and sear has a HUGE impact on the weight of the pull. In fact, when a gunsmith sets the angle on the sear it's done to provide a specific trigger weight. Taurus should be able to do it, but I doubt that they'll let you pick the weight. Any 1911 gunsmith worth his salt should be able to do it, and to your specifications.

One other thing you might do to rule out the firing pin safety levers and plunger as the culprit - take 'em out, reassemble the pistol, and see what you've got without them. Expect the trigger to be about 1/2 pound lighter without them, but it shouldn't lighten it more than that. Reason I mention those parts is that they are 'activated' in the last part of the pull, so if there's a problem there I could see it acting like you're describing. Just never seen it before. Some folks remove those parts anyway, but I don't recommend it. They're there for a reason. I only recommend removing them for diagnostic purposes.

My PT1911SS came with a beast of a trigger, out of the box. It was right about 7.75lbs. When I did the detail strip, I
found some pretty sketchy milling in the trigger bow channel (as well as along the rail that I overlooked during inspection).
I haven't done anything to the pistol, and after 500rnds downrange, it's now at about 6lbs. My other PT1911 also had a
bit of a heavy trigger, but after about 1000rnds, she settled in at just under 5lbs and has stayed there.

As others have suggested, give it a good cleaning and a hard workout. There is no sense taking it in for a trigger job if
the gun is still breaking in, and in case of a worse case scenario - you have 6months to be able to send it back in to
Taurus for free if you decide that is what is needed.

My trigger is clean, crisp and less than 6 pounds. I haven't tested exactly what it is for sure. I just know it is less than another
gun with a 6 pound trigger. It came out of the box this way before cleaning too. Mine is a 2013 model too though. I don't know
if Taurus has changed the trigger pull on these guns or what years have what.

I would take the pistol apart and clean,deburr and polish the parts, this will give the same effect or even better than putting 2000 rds. through the pistol and cheaper.

1-polish the trigger bow and the trigger track in the frame
2-polish the sear,all sides including the nose(just polish don't change primary or secondary angle)
3-polish the disconnector
4-polish the hammer hooks(again just polish don't remove any material)
5-polish the tips of the sear spring,the left and middle leaf.

this should smooth out the trigger and reduce the pull weight. now there is more you could do but it would require the right jigs and stones. also adjustment of the sear spring but again if your not sure i would leave it alone.